During operation of work machines, it is sometimes desirable to move a work tool in a shaking manner to accomplish some purpose. For example, an operator of an earthworking machine having a work tool such as a bucket may desire to cause the bucket to move in a shaking manner to shake material out of the bucket that does not readily fall out.
In the past, the standard method for shaking a work tool has been for an operator to rapidly move the work tool control, such as a joystick or lever, back and forth until the task was completed. This method is a function of rapid motion by the operator that, over time, can become tedious and tiring.
With the advent of electro-hydraulics, it has become possible to automate control of work tools in many ways that required manual control in the past. Computer-based controllers can be programmed to operate electro-hydraulic valves and solenoids with great precision, thus alleviating many of the difficult, tedious, tiring, or time-consuming tasks that operators previously had to perform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,809, entitled “Hydraulic Circuit for Shaking a Bucket of a Vehicle,” provides a system and method for shaking a bucket. The system includes a load-sensing variable displacement pump and a hydraulic circuit. A manual control means allows the operator to place the system in an active mode or an inactive mode. When in active mode, the hydraulic circuit forces the load sensing variable displacement pump to maximum displacement to provide standby pressure and flow to a directional valve. Rapid movement of the directional valve operates an actuator in a back and forth movement to shake the debris.
The '809 patent may provide adequate bucket shakability, however, the additional hydraulic circuitry is complex and increases the cost of the equipment. Additionally, the manual control means is inefficient as it requires the operator to manually change the system to shake the bucket.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming some or all of the shortcomings in the prior art.